Perfect Crime NYC Reviews and Tickets

56%

(517 Ratings)

Positive

34%

Mixed

23%

Negative

43%

Members say

Disappointing, Confusing, Dated, Slow, Entertaining

About the Show

Put on your detective hat and solve the longest running murder mystery show in New York City.

The longest running play in New York City history, “Perfect Crime” has run for over 12,000 performances. Notably, Catherine Russell has played the leading lady since its inception and has only missed four shows in the whole run. She holds the Guinness World Record for the most performances as a character in a play.

The murder mystery/thriller opens on the night a man is shot by a woman. The first detective on the scene assumes it must have been the wife. However, as the play continues to unfold, we are taken on a roller coaster ride of lies, deceptions, and false motives.

The play by Warren Manzi opened in 1987 at the Courtyard Playhouse in the West Village and has moved theaters nine times.

Show-Score Member Reviews (430)

Great staging, Entertaining, Absorbing, Clever, Great acting

See it if Great laughs small audience in nice area. Intriguing play. Lotsa twists. Keeps u on edge of seat. Great murder mystery/comedy

Don't see it if U prefer larger venues. U dont like mysteries.

Clever, Great acting, Great writing, Intense, Entertaining

See it if You want to see a well written, old school murder mystery in an intimate setting.

Don't see it if You are looking for a lavish production.

Clever, Dizzying, Riveting, Masterful, Indulgent

See it if you like mysteries and intimate settings

Don't see it if you only like big specatacles or deep plays

Enchanting, Entertaining, Clever, Absorbing

See it if very good crime play

Don't see it if you know who did the murder

Clever, Absorbing, Intelligent

See it if Engrossing murder mystery with a determined detective and an engaging male psychiatric patient who wears women's dresses (fun to watch!)

Don't see it if The current cast is really top-notch and I highly enjoyed the show (wasn't hard at all to follow; not sure why there is so much negativity.)

Quirky, Thought-provoking, Entertaining, Clever, Absorbing

See it if If you enjoy murder mysteries and like solving whodunits.

Don't see it if you do not like murder mysteries or don't like the sound of gunfire

Delightful, Entertaining, Absorbing, Great acting, Intense

See it if you want to see a fun acted mystery and enjoy ‘who done it’ productions.

Don't see it if are expecting a musical.

Entertaining, Original, Thought-provoking

See it if you like mysteries and good acting

Don't see it if you don't like mysteries or plays

Critic Reviews (3)

"But if you stick with the story - and considering the turgid performances, that's asking a lot - it does make sense and even has a certain thematic elegance. As the illusions reveal themselves, a confusion and sense of terror slowly build. Or at least that's what should happen if the production wasn't so lethargic."
Read more

"There's just no killing New York's currently longest-running play. On Sunday, Warren Manzi's 1987 murder mystery, directed by Jeffrey Hyatt, hits a major mile-marker: 10,000 performances. Having never seen the show before, the time seemed right. As of No. 9,980, there's still life in the modestly diverting thriller."
Read more

"In the face of awkward segues within the characters’ dialogue and the lack of chemistry, Perfect Crime is still an intriguing thriller full of unexpected twists and turns. It will leave you unsettled and questioning the motives of its characters like any suspenseful piece of work will do. And in my opinion, that is its strongest asset."
Read more

Trailer

Creative team

Warren Manzi

Playwright